Sahara News
by Ali Haidar
European leaders and MEPs are increasingly aware that Morocco’s rights over its Sahara are legitimate. They no longer hesitate to thwart all the maneuvers hostile to the Kingdom’s territorial integrity and supreme interests.
It is in this context that the Moroccan-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) welcomed the rejection last Thursday (July 5) by the European Parliament of an amendment hostile to Morocco and its territorial integrity. The amendment, tabled by pro-Polisario MEPs, was rejected by an absolute majority at a plenary session in Strasbourg.
The proposal sought to amend the European Parliament’s draft recommendation on the mandate of MINURSO and requested the application of judgments of the European court of Justice concerning Morocco-EU conventions. The proposal was rejected by an absolute majority during the final vote by roll-call in a plenary session, said the JPC in a communiqué.
The rejection of this amendment translates an increasing awareness of the majority of MEPs of the maneuvers fomented by the parties hostile to the Moroccanness of Western Sahara, commented the co-president of the JPC, Moroccan Abderrahim Atmoun.
Not long ago, the Council of Ministers of the 28 EU Member States unanimously mandated the European Commission to open negotiations with Morocco to conclude a new fisheries agreement to cover the maritime waters of the southern provinces of Morocco.
The current Morocco-EU fisheries agreement expires this July 14.
The decision of the Council of Europe was a stinging failure for Morocco’s opponents who moved heaven and earth, following the rulings of the European Court of Justice in 2016 and 2017, to prevent the renewal of this agreement. That was in vain.
And this is not an isolated case. In less than a week, the United States and the United Kingdom, two permanent members of the Security Council, have both qualified the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara as “serious, realistic and credible”. The British government declared on July 5 from London it has “taken note” of the “serious and credible” efforts made by Morocco to “move forward” towards a settlement of the Sahara conflict.
US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan said on June 29 from Rabat that the Moroccan Autonomy Plan is “serious, realistic and credible” and is an option to solve the Sahara issue.
These statements were an additional resounding blow to the Polisario and its sponsors.
